


Someone else's...

by Kasan_Soulblade



Series: Road of the Renegades [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts, Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Entry for contest, Gen, More tags to be added
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-21
Updated: 2014-04-18
Packaged: 2018-01-16 10:27:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1344106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kasan_Soulblade/pseuds/Kasan_Soulblade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Contains spoilers for my fic "Unkindness".  A crossover between "Tales of Symphonia" and "Kingdom hearts".</p><p>Because in this chase there were moments. A kaleidoscope of them spied through the corner of eye while in flight.  </p><p>To that truth good intentions were but mere sound, a wind whistling cheerily while he scrambled up perilous steps to the road to dawn.  Still there was comfort in finding someone who'd taken this path before, who /was/ taking that path.</p><p>After all dawn is but a moment, an episode, then time rolls on and the path must be taken up yet again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Starting out

It was like swimming save at a slant. Up and down were mere abstractions and the only surety was movement. But as to where or even how… such was a mystery.

One foot in front of the other. Simple, surely, but it was a comfort

And utterly misleading.

The dark had… a tug to it. Like undertow. Between steps ou would feel it pulling and twisting, the earth you quit might not be the one your foot finds at the end of a step. It might roll forward or back or pivot. One memorial experience had had him strolling atop the corridor with gravity being selective and sadistic.

Go figure the first words out of Sora’s mouth had been “Why’re you hugging yourself like that Ri’?”

Goofy’s “Well gawrsh maybe it’s col in the dark” had inspired a dog pile. And never mind it’d just been Sora, he’d enough enthusiasm for a pack of puppies. Cuddle turned tussle that’d Kairi had found them,

And joined.

And for a bit it’d been just like Home. And he’d forgotten Dark and Passages until come a moogle later and a quick search had found him short a munny pouch. Kairi’d paid, and Sora’d been insufferable with the teasing after that.

Riku had been worried. Not for the munny but for his own sanity. Because the image that had come to mind mid Even’s “I’m going to explain the Dark in glorious detail” speech was surprisingly vivid. Xehanort sitting on some unspeakable throne of shadows waiting (because wasn’t that what the bad guys did, wait for the good to defy them) him just sitting there, doing nothing, then a money pouch falling from above to bean him in the head. Granted, it was unlikely. Xenhoeart had become the dark, was the dark save for that which a person carried, but the image had come anyway and it’d been driving him mad.

To distract himself Riku’d done the unforgivable, he’d asked Even a question. He’d wondered if because of what Xenhanort had become if he could control the corridors.

That idea’d excited Even. The man’d cackled and gone to his blackboard with a skip. Scrawling scientific scribbles and formula and giggling all the while. Sora’d slipped out then pleading a bathroom break. Ienzo’d come in at Sora’s leaving, darted through the door since his hands were so full of books he’d not dared the knob, snd on seeing the squiggled had set literature down and joined Eve’s science fest.

When Ienzo started squealing for Aeleus to “come see this” Kairi’d offered to find the man.

Tne minutes late and she hadn’t come back.. Like sora, who’d never come back ever again. Twenty minutes after that realization Riku was scared. Becausee he’d caught the word experiment and the wistful “we need a dark user to proceed” and was trying not to breathe least the lot remember him.

That hadn’t save him, for Even smelled fear and had turned about Chill Academic persona in full attendance.

Riku’s excuse had made sense in his head. Really it had. Granted the gargled “I need to iron my DreamEatter” had come out as “Dreameater… uh… Iron need now…” or at least Ienzo had said he’d said that. While Ienzo wasn’t the most trustworthy of sources it’d explained the iron pills with breakfast the next day.

It also explained why Riku was tromping through dark corridors in full Organization attire. A grit gray box was clipped to his belt, it supposedly was reading steps and direction and metaphysical equations and a few other things that Yen Sid and Even had cobbled together.

And no, it didn’t hover, or fly. When he left Sora had been trying to get his to do these things and was having no luck. Kairi’d been gone with gummi ship and box in tow, and Aeleus was threatening to chuck Sora through the nearest light portal if he didn’t head out right now.

Thus back had Even and Yen Sid babbling at each other about arcane thermo-whatever-it-was-called and watching read outs, they’d check the security of all their routes, and maybe, just maybe, find a way to track Xenahort as well who’d given the slip and gone ominously quiet.

A glint of light, like sun against water’s surface for it was fractured and flashing and floated, was above and ahead. It caught Riku’s attention and he stopped then. Remembering the communicator on his belt keeping box company. He wasn’t working alone anymore so he activated it and a more tranquil caffeine denied Even (because that’s the only way Yen Sid would have anything to do with the man) picked up.

“Yes?”

“Light sighted, another world maybe… Should I go in?”

“Oh by all means, you do have a data collection kit, correct? I’m sure Ienzo gave one out…”

Remembering the clunky backpack-like device that had glowed, ever so faintly, and how it was stuffed behind the couch when no one was watching, Riku mad a non-committal noise. And he had to wonder, if Sora… Roxas… _whoever_ the Nobody had been had had to put up with this. This… scientific obsession. He wondered then, with a chill, what differentiated the Academic from the man he’d met who was called Even. Save for a pulse Riku’d seen no differences.

The line was on, left one, it’s soft white glow attested to that even as it illuminated nothing because in this type of dark there was nothing to light. No path, no road. No sound either. The quiet was telling in its own way. Or perhaps the silence was a strain, for the man on the other end, a world away, he coughed.

“Child, the communicator is on; do you wish it to remain on while you ah… traverse? Ienzo finds it a comfort to have -what do children call it this day? Back up?- regardless… “

“I’m fine.”

A hum, then a wry “Perhaps, perhaps not. I will check every hour, you’ve twenty four status checks to explore, if you don’t find what within that time frame you are to return, understood?”

Frivolous thought twiddled on the tip of his tongue, and perhaps it wasn’t as alright as he thought because he let it be said. Never mind that was Sora’s thing.

“When will you sleep?”

A chuckle. “When I must, on my time, not yours. Till next hour young man.”

A click, then all was silent, all was still, save for the dark that swirled at his feet and the light before him yet to be traversed.

“Till next hour then, I guess…”

Never mind no one was there to hear, Riku felt better for saying it.


	2. New world, impact

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme notes for contest
> 
> Theme taken from official site:  
> Adoption:   
> Where it's featured amongst many of the cast, some talked about openly, some not, not the main theme of story but it exists.
> 
> Altered theme:  
> Labor of love (original was act of true love)  
> main theme of this story will be established later near the end
> 
> Official site with rules and to place entries:  
> http://khplatoniclove.deviantart.com/journal/Spring-2014-contest-438476503

Someone Else’s

A new world, Impact

 

Because when you left the dark… all you had left after was hearing.

And a sense of “ouch who turned on the lights” when your eyes caught up to the fact that yes, there was light, and sight was an option.

Stepping out of the portal, from eerie echo of nothing upon nothing the little sounds were blessings. The scrape of gravel, the soundless squish of wet grass more felt than heard… He greeted a new world, hand shading his eye, looking up more on impulse than anything else.

Still he found the sun, nestled in a blue sky, framed round by trees varied and with wide branches. He smiled for finding it, never mind the fact his vision swam and his skull throbbed at discovery’s end.

The sound of laughter, of childish voices rose in cat calls and banter focused him on the here and now, and though his vision was blurred about the edges it’d cleared enough so that he could see.

Two children, besides a tree, wood swords flying as girl mercilessly swung at the boy’s raised (faltering) defense. She was dressed in something like sleepwear and something like the organization cloak he sported. It was long and flowing, with a touch of frill and more of a robe than a coat about it, still it covered and surly tickled her ankles as she sprang about.

The boy, sporting black hair that was too glossy to match his black pants and shirt dropped guard and weapon and ran off with a whooped.

“Can’t catch me!”

Thus combat became chase

They were gone, all without seeing. Gone and racing and if he recalled other races (beachside, with the sun blazing high, surf and sand tickling the toes) he knew that they were long gone.

Ribbons, spring green, had been tied to the girl’s back. An absentminded bit of whimsy that he got to watch bob off as the children raced off into sunlit forest that only sported the tiniest skin of shadows.

Mercifully none of the shadows sported eyes and a quick whiff proved that none of it was alive.

Any other concerns about their safety was banished when the girl (shrill voiced and a touch whiny) chimed at an unseen “Uncle Botta” about how Yashin was “the biggest cheater ever”, and “in combat you were supposed to fight, not run”.

If Riku was smiling, well his hood hid that, and after a moment’s thought he threw back the black fabric.

The wind was blowing, not fierce or mournful, just a regular spring breeze, and the scent of life after the sterile nothing of the dark…

He savored every breath and let his feet guild him.

XXX

Everything happened for a reason. Whether one believed in a guiding force, or the Light, or even the Dark, everything had its place and purpose. So counseled Yen Sid to him one night when the guilt had nearly manifested heartless it’d been so deep.

While mistakes could be tragic and horrible, they were that, mistakes. And mercy being what it was, they’d learn and grow and become greater for them. But only if they tried. Trying was key. Did the warrior when fallen refuse to get up? No. They got up, because getting up was the key to continuing life.

And not all keys were attached to keyblades, but all keys lead to somewhere, mercy and Light guiding them it would lead to better things.

Still, though sincere the council felt…. Off… hollow.

Hollowed out by one question he wished he’d never asked.

“Have you ever... I mean you’ve made mistakes… but nothing like...”

“We all make mistakes… some with more consequence than others… In my way though I’ve been blessed, until very recently the Dark was a mere abstraction, the wars were but a memory...”

XXX

“I suppose it’s part...this faith hypothesis you younglings cling to…” Even’d been a ghost, clad in white and pale and gaunt. Ice mana drained low made him ache for things that were warm. Thus after a heartless attack on the Tower you’d find him curled about the microwave waiting for the soup to catch fire he liked it _that_ warm, taboo coffee already in hand, guzzling it greedily. “We’re wearied science; we’ve no time for the Process’ and Experiments that help us tame our world… Though all the wasted _opportunities_ …” A mournful sigh, a sip and quick flick of regard to the microwave.

One minute thirty seconds.

“We’ve no time for wisdoms and contemplations. The wise, _aren’t_ , not in this. It’ all by ear now... and Higher powers I need to stop talking to Demy… Really that child’s an unwholesome influence on my mind!”

Riku’d smiled, though smiles felt tight, and the robes of an order he’d skirted were too long. Everything felt off, ill fitting, and after the Dreaming Exam… he didn’t like to sleep.

Even never slept, had confessed so when he and Ienzo had moved into Yen Sid’s tower, first all unwelcome, than with warmer regard as the man had brewed potions and wheedled tactics and information about the Dark from memories of times as a being who wasn’t. The man walked fine line, between Living Scholar of Ice and Chilly Academic, with only a skein of compassion and stilled pulse to be the dividing line.

“So it’s down to faith then.”

Forty seconds, counting down.

“Child, it’s _always_ been faith. Your faith in Sora got you back, as his in you pulled you out of your mire. The Princess’ faith kept her world afloat in the tides of His Darknesses plans… I sometimes wish I were possessed of such, but its absence has been an aide.”

Even’s cynicism had save Sora at least once thus far, his science and Artes had saved them more than once, so to that Riku nodded.

“It’s regret for the pain a difference can make between people. I regret the pain, not the difference. I’m gifted a perspective you do not hold. As you see differently from your friends I see different from you, thus we are given scope and perhaps through that a kind of hope.”

But not hope, never that.

Fifteen, fourteen…

“My advice… for I believe that is what you are seeking is it not? Is this: Hold your hope, as I hold to my despair, we’ll muddle a middle ground, between the two of us, and if we’re in luck that ground will be sturdy enough to uphold the feet of this tales would be heroes. That’s how we’ll slay this beast of our own making.”

To that last and a beep from behind Riku started.

“Xehanort was once a man.” Even reminded the boy, “all hearts are connected, are they not? Than though he does much to excise himself of our number he has a heart and is one of us. Therefore he is our responsibility.” Fussing with cabinets made mist and fancy the man came up with a spoon. Tea spoon, but still suitable for eating for one desperate enough

Those ice blue eyes were quite desperate and the gauntness of the man’ cheeks were in full attendance, perhaps exacerbated by the kitchen’s gloom.

“Now if you’d be so kind as to move, I’d like to eat and eat in silence and solitude.”

Taking the unsubtle hint for what it was Riku’d left.

XXX

First call, first check in, he’d found nothing save trees and silence that was blessedly broken by the living. Birds chirped, small things scurried, and though an hour past noon the sights of such mundanely were enough to soothed restlessness out of his spirit.

He drifted, eyes half closed, reaching with that sense was part smell, part knowing… strolling upon grass and amongst trees seeking a dark that wasn’t natural. Harmless shadows bent under the sun’s flight bound by the rules of matter and mass.

Between one step and another, a rolling rollicking twist took the span between foot falls. His staggered had nothing to do with gravity or clumsiness. Instinct had him seeking up, and though the sun was up and the sky was as it was before (blue and vibrant and bright) the position of the sun had changed. Between steps, between one motion and another he’d strolled into the past. Three hours back if his guess was right.

The world had changed too, eyes wide he started seeking trees and found gritty grey stones nearly as tall as trees and the silence had changed tenure.

Above, something predatory screamed, the air split asunder under the drive of wings and descent but he was ready. He’d been born for this, he recalled paths he’d strode, odder than this, as he pulled out the Road to Dawn with the barest of effort and following motion amongst the thunder of failing flight struck.

Feather’s flew, from keyblade and from the whatever it was.

All he spied was blue crowned by fraying grey, and with a scream the thing was spinning like a top, screaming over him then going towards gone. Light from where keyblade struck stole its details as it sped by, past him, past seeing, to bash into the teeth of ambitious rocks its flight ended in a nearby valley of white and jags.

The details were lost to a red tinted light, a false dawn of the things dying.

Then, came silence, the echoing hush of corridors quit and a buzz from the bared keyblade, a breath of warning.

The red went out, like a candle flame snuffed, and in the distance… Riku saw and snarled a whole hearted profanity under his breath. He’d seen dark move like that far too many times. The first, that very first, he’d been younger, not as young as those kids back in another when of this where…. But it was a close enough comparison to make him worry.

His feet worked before his head (how it was supposed to go, so had advised Yen Sid and Even between the lines) and he was running across grit and gavel, glad that the path of that whatever-it-was’s flight had been below. One leap, one glide and he’d be halfway there then wholly done.

He sought a memory of happiness; such were rules of flight from another world, a gift he’d carried between worlds before, and leapt.

And found gravity waiting.

No matter the joy he relieved he could feel nature pulling him down, his hair whipped up even as he fell down, the robes first billowing than sweeping up making a drag that stung very inch of him and did nothing to still his fall.

That’s when he knew this fall wasn’t stopping, and all the happiness in the world wasn’t going to arrest this descent. Panic, fear, shook off the warmth of what he remembered, and he looked with wide watering eyes. He was rushing towards the maw of a canyon’s floor, the stone was universally white, and only a sliver of shade near descents end was a comfort. Maybe, just maybe, he might be able to angle himself for that dark, a thought, and he’d be between worlds, where the impact wouldn’t be so hard.

A thunder from above, of frantic flaps abandoned and a whistling whirl of something that could control its descent was all the warning he got. One second later and there were hands, not talons, but hands, gripping his arms. Straightening the free fall and pulling him close.

“Hold on boy!”

Never mind he was being held.

Thunder descended, and shadows and light chased themselves about their sides. The lost were tinted the faintest of reds, they whirled as the dark flapped, stirred and swirled by a failing flight.

Slow, too slow! His heart quickened at the revelation that this was futile, they were going to hit and…

A chuckle against the back of his head.

“I believe the advice for the moment would be, go limp?”

Then the grip shifted, tightened and bound, then once secured he was turned about, savior under saved, then impact against something marginable softer than the ground at a rate that wouldn’t kill the both of them.

But that didn’t mean it hadn’t hurt.

He rolled off of whoever it was, mind thinking he should be casting Curaga, lungs and limbs seizing up he managed to get off and pant and nothing else until the stars behind his eyes stopped blazing

“That… was stupid…”

So spoke the… whatever he was… There was no hint of wings Riku’d seen during their descent but a feather or two floated down to land on the person’s white shirt as if to remind Riku they’d been. As for how Riku knew this being wasn’t a person he’d spied the top of blue hair and pointed ears that’d been pushed back during impromptu heroics.

“Yeah…”

The fallen man stirred at the boy’s speech, though is eyes remained scrunched up in pain. Red vest glinting, chinking under the movement of breathing rejoined, it was that sound that woke Riku up a little. Until that point this… whoever he was hadn’t been, breathing that was. Riku pushed back the fear of that thought, was forced too by the wry. “See something interesting?”

Blushing, because he hadn’t meant to stare, Riku shook his head.

“Nah, just…” The green glow of healing magic settled about his hand, all in all healing seemed a more practical recourse than trying to fumble out a “ _you look like something out of a story book, a book I was reading before the Dark came about elves and light and…”_ And somehow that felt almost as wrong to say as the fact that the man hadn’t been breathing minutes ago but seemed almost fine now. “You allergic to healing magic?”

“Hardly.”

With a whispered Curaga he loosed light upon them both, green tinted and smelling faintly of a forest quit from this world hours ago.

“Aeselia…” A sniff the blue haired person wrinkled his nose. “Faintly Kharlanic, without the chill mind.”

“Uhm… alright… can you… get up?” Because though Riku could he wouldn’t not until the other person could. It was easier to help someone get up, painlessly, when you could go with them through the paces.

Blue eyes snapped open, paler in hue than the hair, a step shy of being bleached.

“I’m fine, been fine, your... efforts… simply sped up what was going to happen naturally.” With a hiss the man got to sitting up, a few moments and the aide of a bolder and he was standing.

Taking the cue from his companion Riku got to standing, and pushed back the dizziness of flight failed and impact with a grimace.

“So, children like you from wherever you are from, they normally throw themselves off of cliffs after that?” The man asked, centering his cloak and tying up his unbound hair without looking away from the child in his company.

As for _that_ , all Riku had to look ahead. Though distant the heartless wasn’t that far off, it was swirling, still unformed, and dark roiled and rocked in the confines of its birth spot.

“Figured I could fly.” Because, why not? The man’d seen him jump, saved him from falling. There wasn’t pride to salvage here.

“You’re not the first to make that mistake. If you want to live longer I’d advise you finding a less impact heavy way to check.” Dusted, as he’d been dusting himself off as he spoke, the man considered his grooming done and was up and walking before Riku’d realized what was going on.

As to where, towards _it_ , and the white stones that’d served as it’s point of impact were quickly turning grey.

“Hold on a second,” because he’d seen this, so many time, would be heroes in a tale where only the select could go out. It’d been tragedy and he’d stepped in time and time again to rewrite the endings. He’d saved those who sought to save others and while it hadn’t ended badly yet… The might-of-beens could easily become would-be, such were the phantoms that danced before his eyes. “ You don’t know what that thing is! You don’t know how to fight it!”

But the man was focusing on being gone, leaving Riku no choice the boy pulled Path to Dawn out of the ether he raced to catch up.


	3. New world, storm

They tore into the dark like a storm. Lightning and blade leading the NeoShadows were tamed to mundane shadows, above and circling the DustFlyer sought something. Knowing heartless as he did Riku expected the thing to break off, seek the heart of the world.

Instead all it did was circle and scream, each cry warped once tame shadows so they sprung to life. They’d been forced closer and close by caution rather than crush for the Neos weren’t the only things being spawned with each scream

The first Yellow Opera or rather the first Yellow that’d absorbed his lighting spell had summoned a spat of swearing from the blue haired caster. The monsters electrified swoop had released a storm of static and resulted in scorched hair and the thing pinging off the walls with eerily cheery squeals. That one neither of them had to slay, it stupidly beat itself off the walls spitting starlets of lightning at every impact.

“They seem to be adapting, you might want to tone down the lighting a bit!” Riku’d yelled, torn between shock and laughter, he settled for a yelp as a Power Wild popped out of the shadows of a boulder, crooked paws swinging. A scramble back and swing of his blade swatted it into a wall. It broke apart at the impact.

“Do these things just follow you around or is Shadow in an odd mood today?”

Having followed the boy’s advice the man had quit storms and took up steel. The blade was an exaggerated razor with a hilt that wound about the hand to form a contraption that seemed too blocky to be a guard. Still it warded off talons and the fell shades grapples. Shadows boiled at each swipe, shimmered like fell mirages, but did not disperse as quickly as they had under lightning or the boy’s odd weapon.

Once they’d cleared the last a scream from above summoned more, luckily this batch were just shadows.

Unluckily Even decided that _now_ was the time to check in, never mind it was ten minutes early. The device hummed to life and the voice that came from it through the crackles was arctic, at best.

“You are late.”

Backpedalling from a shadow’s pouch the blue haired man nearly trampled the boy, who had forgotten fight and was fumbling box off of belt and keyblade and trying not to get hit or drop anything.

Sure he had it facing the right way Riku tried to explain how now was not a good time.

Used to taking calls in worse than skirmishes against the dark Even wasn’t horribly impressed by the boys “can’t talk now” excuse. And let him know that, in excruciating detail. Finally realizing that Even wasn’t going to stop Riku slipped the thing back on his belt, and rejoined the fight. Now that he was looking up, Riku realized that the man’s icy diatribe had been catchy. Shadows had morphed into Blue Rasphodys and a multitude of ice spells chimed among their pointed heads.

Throwing himself against the canyon’s wall he scrambled blindly against stone and got up enough to find an edge that was up enough so only the soles of his feet were covered in frost. He’d managed to yell a warning whilst climbing, and was left to hope because the gale had passed him by. To spit the shivers, the skein of ice on his boots he turned, just in time to see the ice that had flown down the valley was careening every which way against the walls.

A quick glance down verses the ice pinging all over the place up decided him and the silver haired boy hopped down to snow skinned stone below.

A look back and left found his blue haired companion, arm lowering, blue skein of light about him fading he steamed… Literally. Starlets of lightning had set the snow and ice about him to melting and his gaze was locked up.

A thunder of wings, a rumble that’d preceded roars, was cut off by a roar of thunder rising from earth, a flash of lightning that stole sight and left floating stars in its passing. Swiping at burning eyes Riku got his sight back with the help of a Cure spell just in time to see the dark beasts impact. As it fell cracking stone with flailing wings and melting walls where it’s still sizzling wounds brushed too close.

“That beast is making me _very_ tired.” Gagging as the scent of cooked rock and smoldering shadows Riku couldn’t say anything, even Even who was listening by proxy (so said the hum of the device clipped to his belt) was blessedly quiet. Storming past the dazed keyblade wielder the blue haired man let out a hiss of pure fury, then he found his voice, rising it in chant.

_“Rage and spite of those wronged before me find recourse._

_Let mine voice guild your thus I dissolve boundaries between living and dead._

_Indignation Judgment!”_

There was a false sun, a pinprick of violet light above the Dustflyers head, the eye was drawn to it, and under scrutiny it shivered than shattered, it’s fragments shot through cloudless sky, dancing, fragmenting, shards thickening, than flight reversed. Light slammed down as claws of jagged electricity, threw ‘Flyer back into stone, still it would not die, strived to rise again.

More than _tired_ , more than worn, weary or any of it, Riku found himself running, Road held over his head. He skipped across desolation, each step a differing form thereof. From warped runny stone, to black talon shattered at tip, to bent crooked knee its scales scalding, he scaled over the last, made a leap more on instinct, arms braced.

The beast only had a moment to widen taint yellow eyes before descent, and in flight, in strike, he’d somehow gathered the force of fey storm thus Road shivered purple and black, an electrified twilight that cut head from shoulders and left the thing slumped and broken.

Leaping down from the dissolving carrion he found the blue haired man watching, waiting, lips kicked up in something too bitter to be a smile.

“Not bad.”

Riku nodded. “Thanks for the help.”

“I suppose I should say “any time” but I’ve used my quota for lying for this week, so I won’t.” With a curiously bird like head tip elder considered younger. “I thought conscription age was twenty five.”

Contemplating blade Riku didn’t hear. Dawn’d changed again, violet snapping snakes of energy danced upon key teeth that were part feather, part steel, all bite surely…

“Boy, sparkling lights aren’t _that_ intriguing are they?”

Riku looked up from keyblade, and feeling old shame over staring returned, because he was doing it again, the boy lost his poise of premature adult.

“Umm sorry yeah…” Recalling the man’s statement, about conscripting he muttered. “It’s not a war.” Under those unblinking eyes, he continued. “There aren’t armies or… well stuff like this doesn’t happen much and… Well it’s not a war.”

A smirk then a dry: “You’ve an odd idea what war entails, but whatever you say.” Then the man was walking, towards where Dustflyer had been, then beyond, seeking cliff and a route up if the tipped up head and skyward locked regard meant anything.

Riku, following more to get away from the Dustflyer came up from behind; the man didn’t turn, but was clearly studying the boy from the corner of his eyes.

“Obviously those thing rally under their own, are there more hereabouts?”

A quick sweep of his keyblade confirmed that here at least, there weren’t any more heartless.

“Not here but…” He recalled the step that had roiled, had slipped him between here and somewhere else. “I came from a forest.”

Silence for a moment, as evasion was pitted against probability. Blue eyes went wide as revelation hit. They’d quit cliff and stared at him, clearly trying to divorce truth from lie about whether there were more. Whatever Riku’d just said had struck something close to the heart, for the man was pulling off a squarish block that hummed as Even’s box had and barking fluid sounding syllables into it.

He switched to a language Riku could understand after a whimper from the otherwise imparted something he didn’t like.

“What do you mean they’re _missing_! How hard is it to watch two children for thirty minutes?”

Recalling his entry, what he’d seen, Riku spoke up before the literal storms could begin.

“I think I know where they are. I mean, I saw a boy and a girl playing when I got here.”

“You’ll take me there.”

The man’d not bothered with questions, and any concerns that Riku might have over whether this was a command were resolved for him by the thunder tinged words that cut into his explanation of portals and dark and why this wasn't safe….

“I don't care.  Open this road. Now.”


	4. New World: one moment

They left forest stepping across the back of dark that shivered and hissed, reconnecting to a mundane sort of earth in a matter of moments, they were through and out at a spot of shade where it’d all began. No children though, a quick look and listen had proven that. But despite the man’s earlier viciousness there was no accusation, no irate irrational “where are they now?” tossed his way like a threat. Shivering the blue haired… man… looked about, eyes combing ground even as Riku pulled out Road from the twilight mists it resided and swished the altered blade about. Looking for heartless with it was vaguely like the childish tales of dowsing for water with an oak stick. It worked, there was a tug in his hands, and he’d pulled a quick step to better brace against the pull.

“Trouble?” A quick glance assured the boy there was no yellow about the man’s eyes, and the white’s remained white, though they were ringed in black, as if the man hadn’t slept in a week.

Physical fatigue, so Even’s warned the man before the trip through the portal, was to be expected.

The scientist’s “You’ve no heart conditions, correct?” had hinted of things more dire than fatigue for those who were truly frail. Still the pointed eared man hadn’t hesitated, though the look he’d pinned on Riku when the boy approached the portal had something of darkness to it.

Guessing some of the man’s thoughts, Riku’d offered what assurance he could. “The coat keeps me safe.”

“Why, because it matches?”

“Something like that.”

Grim truth hovered over Riku’s lips and perhaps if the man, his companion… Who _was_ he anyway? He’d have to get a name here… If he hadn’t been so desperate to find those kids (his, possibly, though neither of them had sported pointed ears) he’d likely of just asked.

He seemed a rather impatient kind of guy.

There were questions coming so promised that steady regard before they’d braved the portal, how many and how Riku should answer he wasn’t sure.

“It’s not good.”

“Wonderful.” With a grunt the man was pacing across the clearing, he paused to consider some off smear on stone, a wet stripe that might have been a foot print, white light ghosted about his fingers as he whispered something to himself.

“Even, can we get a reading on… well like a life form reading or something… to see if the kids went the same way as the heartless…” Because the pull of Road was starting to make his arm ache, he needed to go that way but… There were kids and the chance they were in trouble was making Riku try a hand at this working with others thing. If this were a search for Sora he’d just go to where all the commotion was. Sora’d made it too easy.

“Certainly,” chimed the voice from Riku’s belt. “Once I know exactly where you are, and can build a thermo reader that can distinguish between the heat patterns of animals verses humans and take a readings through a galaxy, never mind the distortion of the odd arcane radiation frequencies that you’re standing in-“

“This way.” Done with whatever sell he’d been casting the man straightened with a wince and a quick grab to his back to still the spasm along his spine.   Clenching his hands to fist snuffed out the light from his fingers. “Their mana signatures went this way.”

And Riku’s not good was confirmed; for where the man pointed Riku’d been drawn by his keyblade.

Clearly not hearing the man’s words, Even was still prattling, something about arcane dissidence and surpluses of solar flared in that system and how much harder tracking something by heat was, never mind distance, there were too many distractions for simple, _elementary_ , heat readings to suffice.

Considering everything Riku just let the scientist talk, walked after the man who was clearly intent on going, eyes fixed on ground, the glow from before was back, save it was wreathed about those pale blue eyes.

Back to the sun, the man lead, no marched. Riku followed, banished the Road and watched the dark seeking yellow eyes.

Not caring for something so paltry as animate dark the man unsheathed his blade and tore through a patch of briar, the once impassable became plausible after their discovery made a few moments in. Stones, small flat topped remnants of perfect for small feet. A challenge to the energetic and daring, and perfectly seeable from the nearby branches of a tree. One quick climb, a leap, and the lot was passable if one moved quick enough and didn’t mind a few scratches. The trees and their thick low branches offered an alternate route for the more cautions and less sprightly, the whole had been bowed and grown intertwined to make a net a good three feet above the briars.

Ignoring Even, because the man was still going on and starting to sound scarily excited about the idea of making a telescope to do the impossible Riku motioned and the man nodded. Seeing the unconventional road those white rimmed irises traced a path in absolute silence.

Well as silent as anything could be with Even’s science babble which taking on a squee about the edges.

“I’m grounding that little Mizuhoian witch for a decade if this was her idea…. And… Really boy, doesn’t that thing have an _off_ switch?”

Even prattled on, still not hearing, from the soft spits of static there were others, probably clustered around a blackboard taking notes, mission to this world merrily forgotten.

“I don’t think so.”

“If I may?” A gloved hand was offered, and Riku passed up the box. “Seriously,” edges were consulted, a cursory exam found that there were no buttons, just a light that flickered in time to Even’s oblivious chatter. “Giving a child magi tech without instruction… of all the asinine…” Fingertip applying pressure to a seam about an edge the device let out a soft whine, and then went dark.

The following silence was wonderful; both basked in it for a while. Then remembering… everything the blue haired man shook himself and considered briar patch, prickly plant life stretched a wide span in all directions, a quick look up and a flick of his fingers told Riku of the man’s intent.

“Let me go first, I’m lighter, and can pull you up if it’s secure.”

Blue eyes met blue, and under the light Riku could see the hints of exhaustion's shadows in their glaze and rings. Still the man bowed, with grace, long cape flicking only just so to mind the thorns. He stayed kneeling, twined fingers and lifted his gaze.

“You’ll need a boost, like getting up to ride a horse, something to brace on.”

Considering aches and pains and combat finished and waiting Riku took the hand up, then one leafy scramble later wrapped his legs about a branch and offered the man a lift.

One distasteful glare to ground later and the man was picking across branches and bark, still he slowed so they were matching pace for a few moments.

“Yuan, that’s my name, if you were ever going to get around to asking…”

To that Riku laughed, a quiet one, and to the man’s back besides (because it’d been a moment literally and it couldn’t be any other way, not with this one?) “The name’s Riku, just in case _you_ were going to get around to asking.”

Then, just because, Riku took the lead, passing the man by. After all, lighter and all that, right? Right. And the smile, the ghost of one curled about the man’s lips, but like everything else, it only lingered for a moment.


	5. New World:  Finding keeping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... sorta broke the rules a smidgen... Can the nerd herd/science aka Ienzo/science, Even/science, Aeleus/science be a under the table pairing... because these three are all but married to thier jobs and it //shows//.
> 
> Two more chapters to go at worse.

A few quick bites while he walked, a sip from a water bottle when he grew thirsty. Thus Riku snacked while they walked, the sun had returned to its original spot in the sky before his fall, and had added an hour or two to its flight while they walked. Unable to check the time via Even’s scanning box since it was of Riku didn’t consider it much of a loss. The silence was worth it, also the fact that it’d show Twilight Town’s time anyways, it’d be little use here.

And time check was no reason to actually risk getting in contact with Even. He might hear something he didn’t want to. As in incapable to ever unhear ever again sort of hearing and that…

Riku’d faced Heartless, Nobodies, Dreameatters, and Unversed, behemoths of nightmares and fancy turned malicious, most of the above without flinching. Even on a science rampage… he’d send Sora, or maybe no one. Eventually Even’s calm down and be unscientisty… eventually… maybe?

Well it was something to hope for anyway.

During one rest break Yuan’d stopped and Riku had sat on a conventional sized rock. Never mind the moss that was likely adorning his robes rear, and while he paused to drink and breathe the man was busy speaking into a box similar, but smaller, than Riku’s.

“I want at least five teams sent out in grid pattern, start for the Otherworldly gate and work eastward Sylvarant side.” A pause where the man listened and paced, his cloak -a curious split affair, literally two cloaks so close and overlapped they looked one but were two- flapped about him out of sync. Slapping his ankles as he turned to change track and trace out a square with his steps. “No one’s sensed any activity besides my own and my guest’s? Good. Then they weren’t _that_ adventurous. I want any on duty Major who’s not on infiltration duty or medical leave in on this. That’ll give the lot some competent brains to this outfit. We’ve more problems than too would be world crossers and... I’ll elaborate as soon as retrieval is complete Second. My orders for the immediate are thus. Sort those available by mana signature and field experience, _anyone_ of the third regimen with aero vital sensitivity needs to be on site willing or not. I also want anyone who’s not cross trained as healer and fluent in Luna’s craft made available immediately for assessment, civilian or militant inclined. Two healers per group, melee specialties, two different arcana specialist per group. And do _not_ pair Mys’tin with Aroon again, they raised five types of…” A quick look to Riku stilled the predictable end to that sentence. “Never mind… yes there _is_ a civilian child present, Second. My how cunning you’ve become.”

Riku nibbled on some bread, dry rocklike stuff somewhat akin to crackers in shape and a brick in texture. Finally, in fear of his teeth, he poured some water on a corner and was able to nibble a bit more off than normal. The altered taste was interesting though.

“No this is not emergency, yet it _is_ pressing. I’ll be available for briefing with our pair of adventures soon enough and be able to give you detail later in person. Pay whoever’s reluctant whatever they want, though any of ours offer leave packages first. I want those teams to move out in three days.”

A pause, which actually got the man to stop pacing, Riku strained his ears but could only hear a soft off tune hum from the man’s box. And even though the device worked like Even’s it was small enough to fit in the hand and had a nice big red off button on the side.

Riku decided that he really wanted one of those.

“I do not deserve that type of language Mer. Botta, in the least. They will be found. And it wasn’t _my_ negligence that caused them to be lost in the first place. Return our people to base, immediately… We’ve encountered a new enemy and you’ve your orders on how to prepare to face them. You’ve three days, I’ll report on Flanior. Yuan out. ”

To that bit of military power flaunted Riku raised an eyebrow, his regard telling Yuan there would be questions. Only fair considering their earlier interactions. Perhaps realizing that the man’s lips quirked into a smirk and he met the boy’s wordless inquiry with a shrug. Whether or not he meant to answer Riku was left unclear.

“Clean up, we’re leaving.”

Not much to clean save a few crumbs, a quick look at the man’s belt as he paced confirmed one thing the boy suspected.

“You haven’t drunk anything.”

“I don’t need to drink. It’s a half elf thing. Now get up, we’re leaving.”

Still Riku sat, met eyes that seemed to hold a spark of storms from a while back.

“You’re lying.”

“Not when I say that if you don’t get up and keep pace you’re being left behind.”

They’d quit trees a while back, Riku leaving a trail of crumbs the birds surely appreciated. They were still in the forest, but were ground level now as the trees were more spaced out, less bound, and less inclined for little monkeys to scamper from one to the other. Not that it stopped whoever Yuan had gotten a signature on as the man was having to veer off from time to time to stare at trees, trace branches with his eyes and after a circuit find the trail on the other side of the tree than keep going.

Fifth tree that happened on Riku had to say something.

“How much sugar did they steal on the way out?”

Because while he walked Yuan had been in conference with someone and that someone had discovered a map missing, a packet of rations gone, and someone’s stash of secret chocolates missing as well.

“It was Vidarr’s stash.”

That… didn’t really mean anything. At least to Riku. Rubbing away budding whiplash, Yuan said nothing. This last tree had had him whipping his head about this way and that, and Riku suspected that the trail moved while you watched because Yuan started, went still just staring, then switched. From march to sprint, and it was all Riku could do to keep up.

The sun dimmed as the raced, the path darkened. While there were mountains in the distance and trees about them this sudden gloom was too much too fast. A quick glance proved what sky he could see was cloudless, and to that Riku drew Road even as they raced across a path that zigzagged and was broken by bush or other ambitious flora.

The keyblade was nearly shivering in his hands, and gave a sharp buzz as some shade under a tree developed eyes. Not slowing the man slashed out, scarring dark and tree in one pass. Riku followed the slash with his own, and from the corner of his eye dark dissolved with a boiling hiss.

“Must be here… close… Too much light…” Skidding to a stop, blinking rapidly, the blue haired man looked with eyes no longer rimmed with white. The shadows about them had deepened and there was an unhealthy slant to his pallor. The pair had come to a stop in a clearing, oval if one ignored the tree that dented in one side and another near it’s center. Some brambles from earlier crept about the trees trunk, the centermost tree was least adorned with the spikes.

Considering clearing, he stepped out of shadows, the last heartless might have been a fluke but Road was humming under his hands. Freeing one hand he grabbed the man’s arm, least he just storm into the center of the clearing and start scaling the trees or something.

“Yuan, I can’t see them but there are Heartless here.”

A nod, then a glance towards the centermost tree. Since the clearing was flat and besides some pebbles and grass barren it was a reasonable guess. Here, though the presence of the heartless was… discreet, there was something wrong. A hint of char to the air, and the trees were more spaced, the sun had more freedom to shine, but the light was still scanty.

“Yashin, Sheena, this game of yours is _over_. The scouting groups stumbled upon some new monsters during exercises; it’s more than time to come home.”

A rustle from the bramble sheathed tree seemed answer of some sort, for the blue haired man thinned his gaze and using that narrowed regard as a line to set his sight Riku caught a flash of green that didn’t quite match the hue of the leaves about it.

“And yes, you _both_ are in serious trouble. And Miss Fujibayashi… you might be a ward of Mizuho but stealth is not your strong suit at this moment,” the man’s pointed ear twitched, and there was a crackle between his fingers before he shook his hands that was, then the sparks dissipated. “Nor is decency, obviously. You’ve just put soap on the menu for language like that; now get down, both of you.”

“But Daaad..” Whined a boy’s voice, one Riku’d heard earlier, “we tried and things got… really scary.”

“How so?”

“Our shadows kinda started squirming, than _all_ the shadows started squirming… They tried to climb the tree after us and Sheena had to use that fire charm Mys’tin gave her to burn part of the tree away and I threw my sword at them and it missed and I can’t get it even though it’s right _there_ and anyway Sheena’s card charm let some light in and that seems to make them go away and I know Mys’tin wasn’t supposed to but please don’t court martial him, please?”

Taking a deep breath, that stilled the shakes that had stared at the part of “shadows squirming”, Yuan managed, in a tight voice, to ask one last question.

“You both have mana communicators, why didn’t you use them?”

The girl, Sheena, chimed in. “The shadows came out of the briars Mer. Yuan, right after Mr. Botta went to the privy, and well… Yashin-sama took off the casing and turned them up so they sparked and threw them at ‘em. The dark didn’t like being sparked and we tried to run back to camp but there were more of them there, so we jumped and ran _everywhere_.”

“And why didn’t Corrine fetch me?”

“We tried, but he was squealing something about Niflheim’s Shade, Dad, then the fluffer ninja poofed.”

“Corrine is _not_ a fluffer, and he didn’t _poof_ , and _ninja’s_ don’t poof!” A huff, and never mind the seriousness of this mess Riku was smiling. “He went to get Mr. Botta, Mer. Yuan.”

“Which is stupid he should of got Dad.”

“Mr. Botta was closer.”

“Dad can fly.”

“Can not.”

“Can _too_.”

“He crashes.”

“Does not!”

“Into trees.”

“Dad does not!”

“And the ground.”

“Daaad, tell Sheena you do _not_ crash into the ground!”

With a flick of regard to tell Riku to damn well stop sniggering because it wsa his fault he’d crashed last, Yuan cleared his throat and dropped his scowl.

“Children.” The silence in the tree -for Riku- was absolute. For Yuan… he was starting to doubt that any quiet was absolute or that anything could be hidden under the regard of those keen eyes. “My flight prowess non-withstanding we’ve a situation. This gentleman, Mer. Riku and I, will come up to the tree. As soon as we call its safe you jump down, and one of us will catch you. Understood?”

Two “Yes Sir’s” sounded out.

“If any of the dark comes up, or you see it shivering despite the light you call out, _immediately_. I’ll be up.”

There was no doubting that tone. Nothing else save what was spoken was going to be allowed to happen. Reassured, the children waited quietly. The two warriors, after a quick wordless conference stepped from clearing’s edge, Yuan leading, sword drawn, Riku a step behind and watching where they’d come from.

They should have been watching their feet.

As soon as they left the tree line, to dimmed sunlight, their shadows shivered and quaked.

“Dad, below you!”

A quick down and back had the blue haired man stabbing at his shadow, that Heartless didn’t form, but above them the sun gave one last shiver, and though it burned above in the sky and the earth away from them there was no light for the four in the clearing. Just light’s memory. And then the dark was taking even _that_ , stealing details of the world as it deepened and ate the substance of the world.

Things like trees and rocks were suggestions of such, shapes veined in purples and greys where whites and palest greens had once been.

It was like Edge of the World all over again, Destiny’s husk,that faux beach found after strolling down those horrid hollow halls that Ansem the Dark had made him prance and feign joy when all he wanted to do was scream and never stop.

Lightning snapped, leapt from hands to scalding the very earth. All fey shivering stopped there and the attack snuffed out a score of eyes before they could become anything worse. Though dark that patch was a worldly type of dark, smoldering and with a hint of green about it where the lightning had spared grass.

Less luck behind them, the shapes that had been trees were swaying, Riku could smell dark and steel and hot rust all at once.

They day just kept getting better and better.

“Where’s the sun?”

Another blast of lightning, near the tree felled a Power Wild that’d been scampering to the branches Riku waited until the thunder stopped rolling, kept busy and near with a patch of shadows.

“Here but not... They... they hide it and the light. It makes them stronger.”

“Anything else you’d like to mention?”

“Don’t let them touch you, they do worse than kill.”

Curious when Riku struck down a Neoshadow another patch of dark was pealed back, the rocks under his feet. He stumbled then, not expecting that after the smooth corridor like nature of the ground before that moment.

A flock of small Wyverns shot over his head, the boy leapt, never mind balance, he forsook it and traded earth for sky. The snap of an upbeat in the beast’s flight, the membrane of a ridged wing and he’d thrown himself higher smashing the leading beast on the back of the head. Both wet down, but the flock had quit tree aiming for and were circling him. One blast of Firga got them to pull back enough so he could get up, shake off the dizziness and spy one swooping in. One swing, two handed and everything he had got his body following the motion. One hit, one heartless down later and the bonus of having the exaggerated swing pull him along. A flurry of wings and squawks where he’d been made him glad even if his arms were aching after.

A flash of lighting, towards the trees told him the Cerebus had entered the fight, the crash and sky talons of a purple slant warned of another Indignation going off.

It also revealed a charred tree that the spell had taken out and let some light leak back into the world bringing things like nature back onto the scene.

“Yashin, Sheena!”

A reasonable cry, considering there was screaming coming from the tree. Riku was already up and running, took a heartless near the base, not caring what it was.

“I got her Dad! The lightning’s scaring her that’s all!” Softer then a near murmur that only a lull in fight and proximity allowed Riku to hear. “Volt’s not coming, Volt’s not here Sheena, it’s just Dad fryin’ the bad guys, you don’t have to watch. I won’t watch either, alright?”

A whimper, a sob.

A shadow, sliding up from brambles, thrusting, never mind the scratches he picked up, Riku got the thing that was part dark, part spines, all prickly.

The tree turned back to normal, a spot of perfect mendacity in the grey tinged everything else.

It also bore a char mark and the scent of fried ozone where Road had hit.

Clearly not his Road than, but something else. Motion, something sinuous and slithering made Riku race and slash another bramble thing in half that was more malice than sense and had no idea how to dodge.

Still that’d freed up some bushes and an edge.

A screech of steel on steel and a profanity followed by “the bloody shield bites!” warned that the Cerebus had come around and were closer than they should. Seeing nothing nearby Riku raced back to where Yuan was, saw the man stepping back, sword gone, or rather being chewed on by the bully armored Heartless. If a heartless could look happy… well Riku’d seen dogs, Kairi and Sora collected puppies in droves, and the shield didn’t have a tail, but if it had it’d been wagging.

“Get back!” Riku warned, seeing the sword rise.

Sword hand fisting, Yuan slammed a glove into the earth, snarling “ _Sith’verisah’l_!”

Light blasted from earth. Not the gold light of King Mickey’s spells, or the silver tinged shields that Queen Mickey had sheathed them in on that frantic fight worlds away and a year ago in the Toon Kingdom… No this light was the glare of sun on snow, cold and biting and blinding and burning never mind its chill.

The dark boiled away at that light, as did the earth that it revealed.

With a wail the Heartless were gone, the clearing charred more than whole… and the sun was shining unhindered.

All the better to see Yuan, who was panting and swearing, rubbing his back and shaking. Like Riku after his fall, he could do nothing _save_ gasp and sooth and try to desperately breathe.

Not bothering with the helpless “are you alright” Riku managed promptly what his pains had stopped him from doing last time.

“Curaga.”

When the light faded the man was standing, shivering, but up and aware though there were agonies in his eyes. Still he walked, sans stagger, to the tree, to the children.

To his children.

“Are you two alright?”

No doubt now. If the frantic flight and search hadn’t told that tale… well the tender tones he offered despite his pain said everything.

Two affirmatives, one broken by sobs, the other chattered, neither true. Kicking up a smile, Yuan gestured, they jumped, first the boy in glossy ink black a torn blue vest slung over his shoulders, than the girl in spring hues that weren’t quite a perfect match. Both were dark haired, though the girl sported purple eyes to contrast the boy’s more mundane brown ones.

Picking them both up, one per arm, they were small but not _that_ small, one’d be a trial for Riku, two possible but not probable, still to spite his wounds Yuan managed both. Letting them nestle against his shoulders he offered soothing words in a language the boy didn’t quite grasp.

“We’re going home…”

Shifting them a bit to spare his back a little the man secured them and set off. Riku trailed behind, a few swishes and the heaviness of… well it wasn’t Road whatever it was… told him there weren’t any more Heartless. With a thought he dispersed the blade.

“Dad...” worried, and weary, with a hair so spiked it looked like Sora save the hue wasn’t right. Nor the eyes, though red from crying they were clearing and distrustful and locked on Riku. “He’s an _outsider_.”

“Guest.” Came the curt correction. “He’s a guest. If he wishes to stay long enough to be one?”

Blue eyes considered him, inquired, and to that Riku nodded. He hurt, was tired. He’d report to Even and stay just a little longer to rest before going back to the Tower.

A log, and after a suspicious look to the shadows about its base Yuan set first Sheena than Yashin down on it with just enough space to sit himself between the two of them. Perhaps forgiving that he was the source of the sky fires so like this… Volt’s Sheena snuggled Yuan hardest, Yashin simply slumped against his father looking like he wanted to sleep but jolted every time his eyes slid shut.

“They can’t.”

Muzzily the boy looked up at him, craned because looking up wasn’t enough and Riku wasn’t that tall, really he wasn’t.

But to this little boy Riku guessed he was.

“The dark behind your eyes, they can’t get there, it’s too small, and they’re too big.”

“Eew…” Clearly Riku’d left a mental scar with that attempt at reassurance. “That’d be.. ick.”

“It might enlarge your cranium.” Yuan offered brightly, smoothing dark locks and glossy dark, revealing all accidental the lack of point to each of the children’s ears. “Allow more room for brains perhaps?”

“Daaad… Just… ung… yuck… that’s almost as bad as you-know-what’s!”

Clearly an inside joke that, because the man chuckled. “Oh, perhaps even more. If you could shift a bit... I need that pocket free. I’ll call then we’ll go home.”

The boy scooted obediently, then snuggled back once Yuan was using the stone, a few quick words and the off button was pressed. Riku sat, before them, since there wasn’t much room at the log. The purple eyed girl was watching him all curious. Her terror on the decline.

“You an half elf mist-“

““Are you a half elf?” Is the proper inquiry, although such a bald accusation is hardly polite.” Came the quick rebuke, the barest of tap to the head was delivered to better drive the lesson home. “Now be still and hush… “

A whine and yawn was the girl’s wordless response. Both quieted and were soon asleep laying more on their father than the log.

“Now what?” Riku asked, wishing he could. Really, deeply, wishing he could just close his eyes and know that someone, anyone, would be there to take over. Even if only for a little. Suddenly there was homesickness, that unknown terrain that he’ d missed out on when leaping into the Dark that first time. Even then, after Xemnas and the madness there after, he’d only wished for the sight of the beach, the scent of surf.

Now he wished for more concrete things. Like mother, and father, and knowing home was safe, and being home, and being safe.

He was tired, so tired. It was more revelation than fact, more feeling than thought.

“We rest, we wait. Relocation will be in an quarter hour,” blue eyes met blue, bleached pitted against bits of stolen sky. “If you need to sleep, I’ll take watch. You can sleep through the trip if need be.”

Impulse, fickle silliness he’d offered once before built on his tongue and the ability to stay it was just… gone.

“What about you?”

Because the man… half elf… _whatever_ he was (because there’d been wings and flight failed and falls broken) looked worn. Like he needed to sleep. He looked like Riku felt. One step from broken, but knowing there was a path and waiting only a moment before he must tread it.

“I don’t sleep.”

Somewhere, above them a bird chirped, no dark shivered and Road wasn’t pushing against the void to be in his hand. It was safe as could be.

“If you want too-“ Because altruism and Riku could never be quit of each other’s company. Not now, not ever.

“Do I want… I’ve _wanted_ for almost two thousand years. Will I, I cannot, not physically. You however look like you _must_. So sleep. I’ll take this watch.”

And because really, sense had taken a tumble with him over the edge (save it hadn’t gotten up) Riku lay down, closed his eyes, and had to wonder if heartless could form behind the eyes, dance in the dark that was part shield part skull that arched over the mind.

Between wonderings and quiet and the quiet whispers of those breathing about him Riku drifted, and at long last slept.


	6. Chapter 6

Someone Else’s

The Base, evasions

Riku woke to a wordless murmur in his ears and the sense of soft all about and warmth. He woke grudgingly, found himself in a bed a bit too large and tangled covers about himself as he considered steel plated walls that hummed both deep and wordlessly. A different pitch originated from the bare ceiling, which was similarly set up as the walls save where ceiling met wall there were slits for light akin to florescent to illuminate the room.

Groggy brain unable to think of anything save “too weird” he swung feet over bed’s edge, trying to recall how he’d gotten here.

That’s when he realized the floor was like walls, like ceiling.

And bitingly cold.

One frantic circuit about the room (and two doors later, one lead out to a hall –he’d closed that- the other to the bathroom he’d barged into there) and he’d tended nature’s call. The shower he’d spied after pulling aside a foggy glass doors tempted him, and he decided just this once to indulge in temptation. A hot shower later (the hair products were sweet smelling, not flowery, but literally like bags of sugar.) Faced with choices like brown and honey conditioner after his white sugar shampoo –which Riku had used, not realizing what the stuff was since the writing on it was more squiggle than sense- Riku knew he’d have to avoid the hundred acre woods for at least a week least the bees attack him in swarms.

A quick dry and fumbling on yesterday’s clothes, white and yellow shirt, black pants, both smeared liberally with green from the prolonged tussle in the forest yesterday.

His cloak was not in attendance.

His boots -with socks stuffed inside of them- required a quick dart across frigid floors and a scrambled under the bed, because he thought he remembered putting them there, which his search proved it to be true and his feet were slow to warm up after it. Stomping about the room, trying to shake off the cold between his toes, Riku paced about, then snapping up his towel for something to do he pushed on steel walls hoping something like a laundry basket would pop out. Three walls later –and hands going numb from the contact with that cold steel, he finally just draped the thing over the lip of the tub and settled on the bed.

A comb, plastic and so small it easily fit in one hand, was set to skull, and for a while it was him and the bed and the comb smoothing out would be tangles.

Glad he’d chosen this cut, never mind how Sora’d snickered when he saw it, _he_ didn’t have to deal with tangles, the adolescent hummed a tuneless rendition of “be my guest” because…. Well unconventional as it was he was a guest, of sorts.

A knock on the door interrupted those thoughts, and he called “come in it’s not locked” because though the door had a knob there’d been no way to lock it. Still invitation was an invitation, and the person took him up on it.

Or rather Yuan did.

The exhaustion, pallor and rings about the eyes were just… gone. So too were the man’s gauntlet like gloves and red vest that chinked like armor. The sword was absent and he’d switched white shirt for palest grey, and he’d likely bathed as well as the tips of his hair were dark and curled about the edges.

“So how long was I out?”

“Six hours. Though considering the varied time zones we’ve crossed going back through the Gate it’s technically twelve hours later here than it was where we met.”

“Time zones?”

“My people travel as fast and as far as I need them to.”

Which really explained nothing… well something about the edges. It hinted at distances that made Riku’s brain boggle. Still, really…

For a while the only sound was comb over hair. Yuan didn’t seem to want to talk about the trip and Riku couldn’t think of any questions he’d actually get an answer too. Sora though, he owed Sora a few apologies for the whole Nobody fiasco. Not that the goof would accept the apologies, but if felt needed.

“Something amusing?”

Suspecting that saying “you” was the fastest way to get a shocking experience Riku smiled, said nothing ,and really tried not too think about how Yuan’s whole posture -arms crossed over chest a ‘I’m so superior look’, with thinned eyes to boot, was so Xehanorts heartless first incarnation.

And really, that was what five years ago? It felt longer, and made Yuan look humorous never mind the dark slant of that humor.

“You remind me of someone, that’s all.”

“A friend of yours, perhaps?”

“Something like that.” The withering glare shot his way made Riku chuckle. “You can’t really scold me for being evasive Mr. I’m-going-to-wait-three-hours- _after-_ meeting-you-to-divulge-my-name.”

A snort served as a reply to that. Using comb to scratch behind a ear Riku yawned.

“So this ‘la’c’ ous?”

A smirk to that yawn mangled nonsense, then, just because, Yuan replied “Something like that.”

When Riku laughed at that Yuan joined in, quietly, but the mirth was real.

“How’re your kids?”

A blink and then a nod as if Riku’d earned a point of sorts. “They’re fine. Though Sheena’s actually my… ah civilian terms I supposed. She’s my Niece. Not my daughter.”

“Well if there’s some confusion I can help. Civilian and all that a niece is usually someone who’s your sister’s kid”

“So says the civilian.”

“Well that’s normally how it works.” Riku shrugged.

“Good for normal.” There was an edge to the tone so Riku decided to shelve the teasing. “Have you eaten?”

The boy’s stomach decided to growl.

“Excellent some idiot in medical ordered me food, you can eat that and after we’ll talk.”

There were a few ways he could go with this prompt. Riku weighted responses and decided on a tangent.

“Where’s my cloak.”

“Being washed, it’ll be returned after its dry.”

The lines between that were painfully obvious. With over five hours of time to use his cloak would be “dry” when Yuan was done with him, and not a second before.

“My box?”

In my office, with our soon to be stone cold food,”

Unsubtle that. “Alright, let’s go already.”


	7. New World: Sparing lies

Someone Else’s

Chapter 7

The walk was both long and empty. As they traveled down a tunnel that had been sheathed in chill steel plates Riku notice the lack of... well everything. There were no people, no plants, no doors.

Though he suspected the person large steel plate with a red stipe might have been one. He’d been encouraged away with by a biting comment which had devolved into a minor disagreement about Riku’s swordsmanship style being Mizuhoian. Never having heard of Mizu-wherever-it-was Riku’d disagreed, been coaxed into a discussion about a particular feint that he normally did without thinking and had realized he verbal feint he’d just been put through when he passed another door and Yuan was supposedly steaming over the fact that the boy was adamantly not saying where he was from.

Never mind that Yuan had flat out, even wryly, noted in good humor that he figured the boy was going to be evasive.

Heavy handed the trick was, perhaps…

But come another “maybe door”, another dilemma of follow or explore Yuan’s long legs and a quick march made Riku’s decision for him. With a curse to mark his choice, Riku abandoned any thoughts of learning the terrain and kept up, had to run to catch up.

At the door, another “maybe one” save the stripe of red was redoubled three times the first signs of life, two soldiers, wearing black uniforms a bit like the boy, Yashin’s, save the material was bit stiffer and their vests, sky blue, were marked with odd lines and sigils about the short sleeve ‘s cuff. Gold was the predominant color about the sleeve, though one bore an odd grey squiggle that vaguely recalled Riku to some gizmo in Chip’s tool belt. Both their faces were masked by visors and helmets, both steel, and both perfect for hiding their features.

“Private Collens, Private Fallen, good evening, gentlemen. May I introduce my guest, Mer. Riku of-no-last-name and of no-known-country?”

”You get the odd one’s don’t you M’ Lord?” Chimed in guard to the left.

“Habit, I’ve yet one who has out “odded” me though, haven’t I? Dismissed for breakfast-“

“Which is in four hours…” Grumbled guard on the right, the one with the odd squiggle on his sleeve.

“-or whatever it is you infuriatingly normal people do preceding breakfast. Really, it’s only two in the morning gentleman, what should you be doing now? Return in eight hours.” A lazily waved hand got the two moving, marching, save unlike Yuan’s march it wasn’t a near run.

After they left, another hand wave caused the plate to split, to reveal a room beyond the door, one with a desk and a chair set before that. One with a break in the steel, for the floor was carpeted in a rich red , and it was wonderfully thick and warm compared to the halls.

Both stepped in, and Riku really had to fight the urge to pull off his boots to savor the softness. Temptation met he simply smiled and then took the seat left for him. Even’s box was off and sitting as a center piece of the table, a plate of something yellow besides it.

There was nothing else to this room.

No paintings, no windows, no knickknacks, or decorations. One bookshelf within easy each of the desk was there, and it was lined with books that were so bulky and thick and stiff they must surely be manuals. No hands had thumbed over their spines or cracked them over after a first read; still they were dusted and as pristine as the wall besides them.

And just as sterile.

Simply put all that mattered was rug and desk and chair. Even the two people within it seemed small, though the room did not dwarf them something about its state, so painfully meticulous, normal but not, it made those within seem to shrink.

Half expecting some withered Marm to pop out of the eithers like a misplaced Heartless of sorts Riku almost wished he’d scuffed his boots before entering. Never mind there was no place to do so or that his host had not indicated he should.

“We’ve a bit to discuss boy. I’ve held my questions, and offered dues as host, granting shelter and sustenance,” the plate, a mess of eggs, mushrooms, and cheese atop them steamed, risk of cooling clearly pushed back with a gesture-less use of power because besides the smell of cooked food there was a tinge of cooked ozone and starlets snapped about the silverware as Riku appropriated a napkin and set it on his lap. _That_ raised an eyebrow of the host, though elected no related comment. “Now, as guest, you’re obligated to be honest.”

“Nothing else.” A poke proved fork to be safe, only setting his hand to tingle, not burn.

“In my… facility… No, let me try this again. This organization is about granting choices, not taking them away. I will not lay anything restrictive upon you, even if I think it’s for your own good.”

“You’d warn me off though, from doing something stupid?”

“Not directly.”

Recalling doors and emptiness… apply that to warnings that weren’t to door that weren’t and it lead to some interesting conclusions.

Riku considered, conclusions reached he nodded, took a bite. A bit bitter, but divine when considering what he normally ate was travel rations.

“People don’t listen to you much do they?”

To that bit of sympathy… the responding smile cast the boy’s way was bitter.

“People don’t like what I have to say. Most people don’t like me. Half elf and all that.”

“Stupid ‘easo’ not to ‘ik ‘omeone.”

A blink, than grin, more pain than joy.

“As you are… preoccupied with… eating… ravening… seriously boy do I need to order more?” A quick look at the half full plate seemed answer of some sort, a gesture that triggered a hum. “Kitchens, this is Lord Vor’esse send more… _whatever_ it is that was sent up first time around and some water.” Another wave and the hum dissipated, Riku was considered. “Perhaps while you eat I’ll while the time with a tale. Eat, keep eating, you don’t need to stand attention on me. This isn’t a meeting, and though Lord I’m no King.”

So Riku ate, the thought of a withered manners Marm Heartless still twiddling about in the back of his head.

“There are stories and _stories_ I suppose. Silly tales starting once upon a time… I think we’re both too old for that type of tale so I’ll skip that. Oh, there are tall tales, some of them even close to true but we’ve no time to divvy up truth from lie. Explanations are precious, and as you’ll offer me none I’ll offer you none. Fair?”

That warranted a comment, and to that Riku smiled with something like an apology. “No restrictions, remember? I can tell you this… what I know isn’t safe. If I tell you everything, get you involved… The thing that made those shadow monsters would come here with an army of them.”

“Luna would take exception.”

“ _Worlds_ have taken exception… and… they aren’t all there anymore.”

“The… ecology of this place is delicate.” Yuan began, with only a moment of widened eyes and a span of not breathing to show his shock. Shock was quickly forgotten though and the tale was taken up. It’s mix mash of lies and truth never to be disclosed in full. “This place is a duo of sorts, one split into two than made self-sustaining upon a pittance of life’s essence. Miles were folded and redoubled so no sane geology could exist, the foundations are writ with warping and the warps are held in place by seals and those seals are further compounded in complexities for the spirits are tied to those and they were meant to roam.”

And all of this… unnatural… was done at behest of a woman yet not done at hers.”

Have you ever heard of the saying “doing something for someone else’s own good ?””

Thinking of all the times, particularly when the Dark had warped his very frame, Riku’s sole means of seeking Sora had been to pit him against the Organization “for his own good” the mess that’d made of both their lives… the adolescent nodded, food loosing savor at the rush of those memories.

  
“Cruel but with good intent, the staple of those with a superiority complex and the power to enforce it. That was the cause of the split and the folding and the warping and bindings that make this place as it is not some woman’s word. But still pittance is that, simply a pittance, and the masses starved simply because there was not enough to go around. The one who warped did nothing, simply set himself upon a throne of a forsaken kingdom and demanded. When his demands were not met, when his ears were filled with the pleas of those who suffered he paraded himself as a man of divine, having taken the lofty heights of power and seating as signs that he was such. He did not turn a deaf ear, rather listened than loosed power amongst the shrillest, the most desperate. Thus the hand that reached out for charity was struck, severed, and the whole withered further.”

Silence, Riku stopped eating, simply stared, meal forgotten.

“Charity is a sin, gift without cause a cardinal sin, here, in this place, which I’m sure you are not from. You give help too freely and ask nothing in return, those are your tells.”

“There are other sins, seeking severance of cause, the cause, for the world -both worlds- are bound by _one_ cause. Church and Martel and Goddess... To seek something beyond this triad is sin. To seek something not enlightened is excommunication and exile and hunting and dying because they hunt the sacrilegious when the frenzy is inspired in them, and know this child. It _is_ inspired.”

“But who could-”

“Not these Heartless of yours if that’s any comfort. Rather a man-child who sits on his throne amongst the clouds and gets foolish ideas from where he sits.”

A smirk, a nod to recall him of cooling food and Riku nibbled on the omelet.

“Recent studies have re-proven that the air thins upon high altitudes, I’ve often wondered if- Well childish tangent aside your.. Heartlesss… they seem a new tragedy in the making. But this world is no stranger to that. This is not a kind world; it is not happy or kindly to its children.”

Some stirring, certainly some mulling, Riku sighed and scrapped utensils upon plate’s edge. Appetite gone but driven to eat.

“From what I was told… sir… the Heartless were a tragedy of another world, that wouldn’t stay put.”

“They should have caged them better.”

Rankled, because Ansem had tried, and Mickey and everyone (there as a story there, one before his foray into Dark and the raft and the islands fall, one he didn’t know yet and…)had _tried_ Riku surely bristled, and the show of hostility summoned a grin.

“Don’t try me boy, you won’t like the outcome.”

Ignoring that, Riku stabbed his plate, trying not to like how the man winced and shot his fork and him a withering glare. “It’s a bit more complicated than just _caging_ them. They feed on Dark, the Dark of people’s hearts, and spread it, make more of themselves from the flaws people possess…”

“So to banish them in full, you’d have to have a perfect person without vice or fault or flaw stand before them so more aren’t made.” To Riku’s nod the blue hair man grimaced. “Wonderful, nearly almost as bad as trying to hollow out the living to make room for the dead… Well here’s the plan, I’ll give my list of overzealous martial inclined saintly martyrs a run through, you go over yours, and we’ll catch up in a week so we can start queuing them up for tryout against this Heartless King of yours but when you’re done I need mine back, preferably not in dust pans.”

Dredging up a smile Riku shook his head. “Anyone tell you you’re outrageous?”

“I’m waging a covert war against a man-child with a deityhood complex who sticks glow in the dark wings on his best friend’s backs and thinks that’ll make them best friends forever. I’m entitled a bit of outrageous; sometimes I even store it up and use it in monologues, like now. If I’m lucky I’m able to time them so that someone doesn’t notice the help coming down the hall or the-“

A hiss, as the steel plate that served as a door slid open.

“Well _that’s_ too overt to chat over, isn’t it?”

Breakfast for two drifted in, and the guard baring the meal yawned, unlike all the others he wore white robes and silver braces, no helm, so his squared face bristly brown hair went unimpeded. Unlike his host, the man had small nearly nonexistent points to his ears and a mess of brown hairs on his chin that were nearly as rumpled as those atop his head.

“Waylaid the staff again, have we Lord Botta?”

Setting his burden on the table, nudging Riku’s talk box out of the way with his tray two bowls were split between the boy and the newcomer and the three glasses of water were parceled out. To that Yuan opened his mouth, and the white clad “Lord” speared him with a glare.

“No arguing, it’s been over forty eight hours and you know the agreement. You could have taken it in shifts, because you didn’t you have to take it all at once and I’m not leaving until you’re done.”

“There are days I _really_ hate you Second.”

“I’m hurt,-” Brown eyes flicked over Riku, and something of the voice, the posture, made him think of Lex… Aeleaus. There was a bit of grit and gruff and… stability of the man. There was also something the ex-Nobodies manner in that stoic stone faced front. “-you didn’t even leave me a chair.”

“A bit of spontaneous crept in to my life, and I decided to play at being both a good and bad host, all at once.”

“I noticed. Goddess Martel preserve us. The world’s ending; you’re more of a contradiction than you were five minutes ago.” And with that announcement, indulged in a monotone no less, the man left but not before rolling his eyes and letting both see the motion. “I’ll commandeer a spare.”

“Second.” The door hissed shut, the following silence was complete enough that Riku could hear a soft hissing crackle. Both of Yuan’s hands were gripping the table, both were wreathed in violet sparks, Seeing the boy’s look Yuan unclenched the wood table top, ignoring the char and splinters that marked where his fingers had been clenched. “I _hate_ when that man takes my wife’s name in vain.”

Loosing his fingers, hoping that the dark that preceded Road’s coming hadn’t been noted, Riku let the chair take his weight, told the hairs on the back of his neck to stand down. It wasn’t easy.

“I think I stepped into something a bit more than midway through.” The boy murmured.

“While stepping _out_ of whatever you were involved with, which… considering how you act I wager your quest is more than a bit beyond “midway through” too.  Rather tactless of you.”

Riku opened his mouth, closed it, and found really he had nothing to say. So he said nothing.

When Botta came back stolen chair in tow in it was to what he had left them to, an awkward silence.  Thinking of Sora and Yen Sid and even Even, recalling advice and council hinted and indulged Riku found that he did have something to say.

"What if I said... it was needed."

Besides him, Botta had set chair down and was working about the chore of siting, a squirm got the robe settled in properly and a reach had him with bowl in lap.  He ate, setting wondering dark eyes from Lord to boy and back again.

"Without telling me why I'll simply counter with "that's a damned poor excuse, my eight year old could do better, try again"."

Quiet, save Botta was eating and eating messily.  Never mind the starting slant of this conversation, how it went from whimsical parading of lies, to a truth alluded that confirmed the whole so awfully making lies into truth but not dividing one from the other.

"Your world, has it's own problems."

"And that, boy, is an evasion.  Still I'll answer candidly, though you'll not with me.  _All_ worlds have problems, and part of yours is assuming that you have to solve this issue by yourself.  If I could, boy, I'd have your commanding officer demoted and probably executed for his incompetence.  You aren't one of mine though," a shrug, "so I can't."

Anger twisted his face into a scowl, had him halfway to his feet and reaching for Road without a thought.

"Incomp-"

The word was cut off when hands were pinned from behind, a shove and he was sitting and seething.  A look up foudn Botta looking own at him, seeing the boy at least calmer if not calm the man took his seat but shifted it so that he was positioned to face Riku rather than his Lord. To that obvious threat Riku  banished Road, shaking shadows and sparks from his hands at it's passing.

Unfazed, at the threat to his life Yuan simply waited until the boy's breathing was slowed and his hands were steady.

"You have information, you aren't briefed as to how much you can give or can't give.  Nor can you gauge what is safe or not, not with any accuracy as you've claimed to hold to silence than chattered over quite a bit that might be damning than stop yourself.  Thus either you can't tell or you can't keep your mouth shut, I doubt it's the latter though that's more hunch than actually knowledge at work.  You're obviously not being fed right if that slop has any appeal to you."  Seeing Riku's look at Botta Yuan grinned.  "Botta's special."

"How's your water sir?"

"Shut up, Second."

"If you want me to do that, Yuan, you need to drink some."

Indulging spite and a sip the blue haired man continued after the barest of pauses.

"I could go on, but the listed is enough for someone in my ranks to be pulled from their command structure and all the tiers to be investigated at this point.  Also you're too young."

"We didn't have a choice."

"Not at first perhaps, but now, now is there no choice or have you been encouraged not to seek one?"  Leaning forward, setting hand on chin, blue eyes unblinking, he stared at Riku, as if he were reading a book with a fascinating change to it's pace.  "If I wanted someone to carry on, unthinking, I'd tell them this, " _tell no one_ ", and then if they were of the self abasing type I'd tag on, " _after all you don't want to put others in danger, would you?_ " and leave them to it because they wouldn't. So spare me tales of "no choice" I've heard enough of that to fill my millennia long life, and tell me this, who is your commanding officer?"

"This isn't a-"

"And spare me your lies."


	8. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is the end.
> 
> Thank you for all who've read and wish me luck. I was given the green light to participate and it's being added to the contest pile. We'll see how it goes.
> 
> Not quite how I imagined I'd be closing this wok.. I wound up dropping a lot of plot points to make it more compact. But it's the end, at least for this part. I might continue after the contest is up with a sequel... it's something to consider, than I can incorporate the unused bits. We'll see how the plot bunnies respond to what carrots I can offer them.

Someone Else’s

Chapter 8

Home

“Why would you help us?”

Even’s voice, like the man himself, was skeptical and more than a touch hostile.   Yuan’s hand was lingering over the box finger parallel to the on/off button, a flick of his digit would cut this little conversation short and a week’s silence would follow (or so the man threatened)dare the scientist indulge in any of his girlish tech babble, any melodramatic Darkness themed speeches and the cut off would last two weeks.

It was a curious kind of hostage situation, and Riku was sure that somewhere Sora and Kiari were being informed if not on their way now.

Not that he’d told Yuan that.

Words parceled out before the “on” button was pressed rang round and round in Riku’s head, making the information more forgotten than careful evasion.

“Perhaps I’m feeling generous.”

From a man who said generosity was sin…

“And the boy?”

Eating, actually, scraping off the remnants of a breakfast and trying not to feel overfed for what was only a little over a normal serving. Besides him Botta sat, stone still and stone faced, watching both boy and Lord impassively.

“Riku is in fine hands, unhurt, and being watched. We wouldn’t want the boy to open one of those portals of his, seems to let certain unwelcome guests in and they’re rather tiresome to put down.”

Which Riku had done, under Yuan’s order, more Heartless had streamed in, but the steel helmeted soldiers on hand had shot the unformed Shadows with an odd white arrowhead and turned a potential incursion of the Dark into little more than target practice.

“I’d like to speak to Riku.”

“When you put me through to your commanding officer I’d be happy to.”

Never mind Even had explained three times already that there wasn’t a “traditional command structure”. They’d been over this track, the circular argument which boiled down to “Well there must be someone in charge,” countered by “Which King of which Dark engulfed Kingdom did you want to talk to?, “The one in charge!”, “There isn’t one in charge!” had gotten them nowhere fast.

To Riku’s eye roll, because it was looking to be round four and if Even got any more arctic the device and possibly Yuan’s room was going to be sheathed in ice. That’d only happen if Yuan’s prickly temper didn’t summon a lightning storm in Even’s lab first though.

“Sir… perhaps he’s telling the truth.” Botta chimed in, polishing off his glass per interruption.

“There has to be someone in charge of this madness!”

“Like when you started?”

The blue haired man deflated. Huffed. “Touche.”

To Riku’s curious regard the spikey haired man cracked a grin. “Long story. And speaking of long over dramatic circulatory things…”

An outraged squawk from Even’s speaker box and the death glare Yuan pinned on Botta would have set saner man to shaking. Clearly being insane was part of being Second because Botta smiled.

“I’ll show the kid about, if that’s alright with you Sir?”

A hand wave from the hand not splayed over his face was how Yuan told them they were dismissed.

XXX

“Questions?”

“Going to answer me if I ask?” Riku wondered, hands sliding over the coat that wasn’t there, only realizing the habit until he’d meant to slide his hands into pockets and found only air for his efforts.

“Probably, go ahead.”

The tour was over, they were heading back to Yuan’s office and besides being impressed by the flying steel falchions, things of steel and angles and that rode on heatless flame that cycled through all the colors of light, it’d just been a stretch of halls that all looked the same with different doors at the end of them. Most of those doors were locked, and the lack of people about was more than telling.

“You normally can close off half your base to show off nothing to some no one from nowhere?”

“No, which sort of means you’re someone doesn’t it?”

Quiet, as Riku considered, no one and Nobody and shook his head.

Rain ticked along the cements and steel in a city that never was if only in his head.

He shivered from unfelt winds and chill water’s touch, even if it was only the memory of such.

“You know, I know a kid who used to say that… that he was someone, when he wasn’t.”

Dark eyes considered him, considered something beyond him. Not a city, not a rain storm and shadows that came to life. But something, or someone of a similar caliber.

“It’s interesting, how vocal those non-existent ones, aren’t they?”

“Yeah.” Riku shook his head. “Think Even and Yuan are done screaming at each other?”

“If they aren’t.” They approached the door, red striped sans guards. “I’ll be happy to sic Yashin on him. Nothing cuts Lord Yuan down then him seeing he’s acting worse than his eight year old.”

The door hissed open, and there sat Yuan a black cloaked figure looming before his desk. The black clad person turned, the blue haired man stood, his whole posture screaming _he’d heard that_ and was dissuaded by responding by some ghost of good manners.

Pulling back his hood, baring blonde locks to florescent light, the lot glinting and mixed with slivers of encroaching grey, Even considered Second and Riku with acid green eyes.

“Good afternoon Mr. Riku, you’re _very_ late in reporting in.”

Riku was stopped from explaining, because the room… it’s state, took all his words.

Even stood in a small spot of ice. Eschewing chair that Riku’d taken. There was ice on the walls, snaplets of electricity dance over the spikes of misplaced icicles, and the desk Yuan’s sat behind had been righted, and was charred in one corner and lopsided to boot. A broken leg in the back, proven when Yuan paced about his desk, kicking a bit of frost rimmed wood aside in his trip around it. A glare from Even caused the blue haired whatever he was to stop alongside his desk, not to complete the circuit, and offer the black clad blond a bow that wasn’t wholly mockery.

“Gentleman, have a pleasant walk have we? As you can see Mer Even, your boy is fine.”

Besides Even, on tables edge were pieces, bits of steel that smoked and crackled as ice froze it’s edges. It might have once upon a time been a bo- It _was_ the box. Riku looked from it, to Even, to Yuan, and felt his mouth hanging open.

“I believe you are well aware of my stance on tardiness and lack of communication.” Even continued, simply treating Riku’s shock as he did Yuan’s assumption, as if it were nonexistent.

“I uh… Sorry. But well… Where are Kairi and Sora?“

“Busy doing their work. The work that they were assigned, not tied down with miscellanea side quests that expanded well beyond the acceptable scope.”

Dark eyes dancing, lips quirking, in short tossing his stone faced facade to the floor, Botta was trying not to laugh.

“Something amusing Second?”

Curious that the lightning users voice was so like Even’s, chill and biting with hints of shards grinding together about the harsher syllables.

“I’ve… ah things to do?”

“Get to them, and if Mer. Even you do truly not want that chair than I believe Mer. Riku should take it.”

Taking the offer as I was meant to be, a threat, Riku wandered to chair, minding snow and melted steel puddles on the short trip without thinking about it.

Well, without having to think too much about it, right now.

“In my defense,” Riku was sitting and trying not to think of how Even just loomed so naturally, the man’s organization coat and tallness met in a perfect way that it recalled Riku to his baser childhood nightmares. “You said I could go to this world.”

“Ah logic in an argument.” No doubt of it, when the man smiled the Chill Academic was reborn, with is heart and despite himself Riku flinched. “How refreshing, I’m far too used to Sora and Kairi’s oh so charming emotional babbling. This _will_ be a change of pace. You’ve anything else to add before I begin?”

“I do.” Even looked from keyblade wielder to consider Yuan, like his Second’s his lips were quirked and some of the hostility had fled his blue eyes. “There’s a time limit gentlemen, fifteen minutes. Then I want answers.”

To that Even’s eyes thinned. “I’ll need thirty. I’m sure the boy’s coat is done drying, don’t you think?”

“I’ll check.”

And with that Yuan stepped out, door hissing shut behind him.

“Now where were we… Ah yes, you were taking a page from Ienzo’s book, and doing so poorly besides. Whatever they might be, your good intention does not pardon almost seven hours of radio silence.” When Riku opened his mouth the Academic found words after a wordless snakey exhale. “I believe _silence_ will behoove you young man, and I advise you to cling to it. You had your opportunity; you’ve had many, now it’s _my_ turn.”

Wisely Riku sat and listened, and almost sorta wished this were some random babbling about the Dark or mana-whatever-it-was-called-ology, because when the Academic set his mind to it he was eloquent and left blisters in his wake.

A half hour later (a small eternity later) the door hissed open to reveal a weary Even perched set upon a makeshift chair of ice and snow and Riku simply studying floor and wondering. Weighing resentments he hadn’t realized he’d harbored against a man’s frustrations pitted against an untenable situation where the cosmos were hanging up by threads.

Because that was reality, their reality, and having it said… hearing it painted in such acidic tones, really just did something to all his mulling and musing.

Put things in perspective he supposed.

“Well boy.” Yuan drawled. “What can you tell me now?”

“Talk to Even.” Riku murmured. Trying not to get sick. Because he hadn’t known that it was the not knowing (he hadn’t known so much, because all those times he’d toned out Even and the others so much and his ignorance had been torn into with wicked acid sheathed knives) that’d been more the danger. That the going, the _traversing_ from one point to another, weakened and wearied a world’s natural defenses against the Dark.

“You’ve set up poor system, sending scouts to the fore with limits yet not knowing those limits.” Yuan noted, padding across melting snow and too smooth steel patches that still smoked.

“An oversight,” Even countered coldly, Riku could feel the room grow chill, “one that won’t be happening again.”

“You sent children to war.”

To that accusation, Even chuckled.

“Mr. Yuan, you assume that there are kingdoms, soldiers, armies. And if it were like the past there might have been such things. But this is the present. So allow me to divest you your assumptions. Our… place is not like yours. To my eyes this “starving wasteland” you are striving to restore is a sprawl of near infinite potential, you assume that where we battle is comparable in size and setting to where you wage your war. We are fragments, refugees pitted against a sentient night that devours soul, land, and peoples. If you gathered all the points of light in the sky that we’ve left to us, you will find that perhaps, maybe, the whole of every country waging in this war might compile to become half of a continent of your world. Which, if I recall our conversation after our scuffle was… actually a half in itself due to the divide. So we’ve one fourth the mass of a sizable continent to our name and most of that is uninhabited and in flux. We can’t pick and choose our heroes, we’ve no coherent government, and no command structure save those who are willing to step up.”

“No allies then.” Yuan was leaning against his lopsided desk, adamantly neverminding the char and chill that had Riku shivering and everyone’s breathe to steaming.

“Precious few.” Even admitted, shifting about, the crunch of grain and melting and shifting told a tale of Even making himself comfortable upon the most impossible of perches. “Our command structure consists of a king of mice from a world of anthromorphic animals who parades himself as a key knight, a few remnants of a kingdoms science community, -myself and my immediate underlings- a wizard who through luck has managed to amass obscene stores of magic and lore and thus far remained untouched by all this, and the keyblade wielders, one of whom you know.” Even nodded to Riku. “And two more who you do not. There are others… _were_ others… We’re seeking them out, breaking into worlds for catches of hope and light to pit against the dark that devours while seeking to slay that dark as we go. And sometimes... well sometimes things like this happen. When a world reaches for one of our own with one of its own. More often than not nothing happens, if we’re lucky that person we meet serves as a refuge for those who can’t fight. We actively seek no allies because in this war we’ve only one weapon, and that weapon is sentient, picking and choosing for purity rather than experience or some other criteria that’d make some damn sense. But it doesn’t, or if there is a sense to this I honestly can’t comprehend it.”

Considering some internal vista, Yuan stared at the floor. Something dark, pooled about his leg and the crinkle of leather as a hand likely fisted told Riku it was his stolen organization attire. And his coat had wrinkles if not singed holes where the man.. half elf’s... fingers touched.

Decision made Yuan looked up, blue eyes flicked from Even than to Riku.

“You saved my sons’ life. My son and my niece’s and perhaps that of all my men’s if not this world itself, against orders… well roundabout against orders.” Yuan corrected, flicking a look to Even who’d huffed.

“We aren’t cruel, but we have other bigger obligations.” Even grumbled, unhooking his fingers from chair arms that had crown ambitious and were trying to pin his hands down with skeins of ice. “Permission to continue would have granted, once Aeleaus had been freed up from the labs to come along.”

“He’d of been too late.” Yuan countered. “I rarely wait for my Second and we were barely in time as it was.”

Taking a page from Yuan’s book Even offered a wry. “Touche.” And set to plucking off icicles from the side of his chair.

And really Riku needed to look that word up sometime because he had no clue what it meant.

“I.. I had to Even. I’m not going to apologize.”

Green eyes lifted from their sport of breaking and studied him. “I know boy, I know that… And trust me when I say this, I wish, with all of my shadowed heart that you didn’t feel like that. But then if you didn’t you’d not of gotten _that_ I wager.” A head tip to indicate the Road that wasn’t there.

A road that’d changed so much Riku wasn’t sure to call it Road anymore.

“I can’t loan you my armies, we’re waging war against enhanced altered humanoids and even though the odds are three to one we’ve not a prayer in an out and out conflict, but I can loan you my supplies, a few spies, and information on tactics.” Yuan offered, and to that unfettered generosity Riku gapped.

“But I thought… you said…”

“Generosity is a sin. I now that Riku, in the false faith that my brother in law built it is. In that false faith that he sculpted just to set my wife as its figurehead so much is wrong that’s right.” Lifting up his hand coat curled about his fist Yuan loosed than shifted his grip, a toss later and Riku had his coat, not quite knowing what to do with it he held it close and waited. “Now let me tell you something that my wife said. She met a man who was wise and bitter and a boy who was shadowed but determined. Both approached her, neither asking for help for pride and fear held them tight but they met her and for a while the three traveled side by side. They were wounded, you see, and she was a healer, and they were bloody but wore red so she never knew it. One day they collapsed at her feet, near broken, and she did heal them because she was too kindly not to help. Never mind the cost such a great healing put upon her or that she was sick after for having to do so much when she had so little.

So she woke and those two idiots were look at her all sheepishly and trying to tend her –never mind they were fools and doing so foolishly- and she did thank them for helping, but then, in the nicest, sweetest way, half elvenly possible, precede to tear them down because they’d held back for so long. Because if they’d said something sooner it wouldn’t have been so bad, you see.”

“And thus we’re the prideful ones and you’ve taken your wife’s place then? Grand circle of life and all that?” Even drawled.

“Hardly. I’m not going to waste my breathe scolding you and you aren’t going to protest what I’ve offered, especially because my help hinges upon an examination of your people and the situation. I won’t ally myself with the corrupt nor will I tolerate it. Your organization… If it fails to meet with my standards will not only be divested of its youngest members who will be taken into my custody to protect them from your and this “Yen Sids” manipulations but the Dark will cease to be your biggest problem and I’ll take that mantel up personally.”

Riku opened his mouth, protest and half formed mad plans to draw Road and…

Do what exactly, he wasn’t sure.

But plans (half formed, unformed, more mad impulse) were defused with one motion. Even nodded his acceptance, and then stood. He offered Yuan one hand and after a moment the half elf took it in his own. Both men shook and Even perhaps noting Riku’s surprise ordered the child to put his coat on.

“We’re leaving. You’ll get your route to our… _organization_ … in five days Mr. Yuan.”

“You’ll get me a coat in two days and I’ll come to make my assessment on that afternoon, else I will personally bribe Shadow to transport me on those roads of yours himself.”

“I think we can do so tomorrow evening, I simply figured you’d have things to do and I wished to accommodate that.”

Yuan’s lips quirked, his face lost its chill hostility if only about the edges. “From experience Mer. Even, alliances are best made quickly, especially in these desperate times.”

A chuckle and the Academic nodded, as Yuan puled a white stone studded sword from his desk –more curl than bulk, it’s hilt a mere line of silvery steel- wordlessly indicating he’d deal with the shadows that Even’s leaving would summon Academic considered Leader and nodded.

“Until tomorrow evening then,” a nudge got Riku to finish with the rest of the zippers and ties until he was properly shrouded in the dark stuff to better brave the dark paths.

And like before, a ghost revisiting, Riku considered Yuan who was watching angles and lines of his office, waiting for the Dark to spring to life. They all did that now and he had to wonder if Yuan’s kids would, if everyone in this base could, would, should.

Blue eyes flicked to him, perhaps reading some need in Riku’s regard. Even brushed past his charge, with a warned. “It’ll only hold up a few moments,” then he was gone.

There should have been niceties, or manners, or perhaps even a lead in there was nothing.

Just that old question, that’d haunted Riku and had thus far been evaded or addressed with all the emphasis in all the wrong places.

“You can’t.” Yuan answered. “You can’t make amends, and even if you did it doesn’t bring the dead back boy. I gave everything at first in a mad sort of penance. But all the pain and the suffering and the loss don’t change what is. All I can do, all I’ve ever been able to do, is for others.” Seeing protest and perhaps divining words Yuan shrugged. “Yes, it is similar. A guilt offering, a sort of suffering with a lesson attached. But it’s not. I’m not doing this because I did something wrong, I’m doing this because I want to do something _right_. I want to make a world where my children and their children will not have to fear the light. Like night, day is a fearsome thing child, when it goes mad.”

The Dark called, Riku felt it, a wordless howl from the portal, his neck hairs pricked even as the Dark about his feet shivered and the edges of the room took a malicious type of life. Considering shade and odds Yuan pushed a button from his pocket, summoned light and howls of an alarm.

“We’ll hold, run along boy, your people need you.”

A nod and Riku turned, quit light of this world for winding path that rollicked and roiled under his feet. It went without saying that he stepped into Twilight Town, into Tower, his gait was unsteady.

Aeleaus caught him, waiting on edge, coat half on half off, he caught Riku and steadied him and with a hiss the Path closed behind them.

“Welcome back.” Two words, Aeleus’ quota to non-science related matters surely.

To that Riku smiled, pushed back hood and let them see it.

“It’s good to be back.”

A nod then Aeleus was drifting to Even’s side and both men were talking quietly some ways away.

Then Sora was there, and because it was Sora there was nothing but him and his bright smile. And nattering and nagging. Because that too was Sora. And also Yen Sid just doesn’t explain _anything_ , and Kairi’s hand settled on his arm. Half making him turn to better see her concern and then she, like Sora, was gently plying him with questions and concerns and it should have irritated him but didn’t.

Destiny Islands seemed more a dream now than ever, with worlds and paths between him and it.

Still it was _his_ dream. To see the world whole and them home and…

He’d dream those dreams of sun filled beaches and wild races against no one save the wind and laughter as sweet as paopu fruit. Day and night. Even if he feared the nightmares of the Dark he could have those dreams while he was awake at least, even if the night were going to be so cruel as to make all his sleeping dreams a nightmare he’s still have the day.

And his friends.

“It’s good to be home.” Riku corrected himself.

And Sora just had to say “Whaaa” because wasn’t that a roundabout way to answer about Heartless? And did Even’s box really do anything? Because Sora hadn’t gotten his to fly (though he’d dented it nicely) and Kairi was laughing about that and…

“Just saying, it’s good to be back.” Riku chuckled. “Hey I ever tell you about this weird world I went to, where there were two worlds in one?”

And they were walking and talking and heading towards the kitchen because Sora was hungry and Kairi too and Riku though he might have a good idea about an omelet, an idea how to make one anyway and since Axe- Lea was off doing something mysterious and secretive Riku’d just have to cook. Sora and Karii couldn’t and everyone else just didn’t seem to remember how too on a good day and flat out forgot on a bad day.

“You got to see a new world!” Sora groaned. “Man, all I did was walk around and do nothing! What was it like, you meet anyone interesting?”

And there was Kairi nudging him, scolding Sora to let Riku think, if he couldn’t think than he couldn’t tell the story, now could he? And through it all Riku did talk, at first _over_ Sora, than with less strain because Sora was listening and it was easier to talk over Sora when he wasn’t bouncing at you for more details.

While he cooked Kairi set up plates and sorted utensils (clean and unclean, and Ienzo was never allowed to do dishes again since some of the clean was just illusions hiding messes) and Sora scrounged for chairs and they sat and chattered and it wasn’t at the beach or at shores edge. But they were together, and for now that was something. And everything.

And the whole was wonderful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Official note for the judges:
> 
> Themes used from contest home page:  
> Potential KH3 game ideas (minimally)  
> Homecoming (roundabout)
> 
> Platonic bonds explored:  
> Making friends,  
> Allies/alliances  
> family ties/family of choice (Yuan and his family/organization) (Riku and his friends)
> 
> private themes;  
> a question
> 
>  
> 
> Credit/miscellanea:
> 
> This fic was inspired from the song lyrics (taken somewhat out of context mind)
> 
> "even if this world is for someone else's sake"  
> from the song (translated into english)  
> akiko shikata: ta ga tame no sekai
> 
> The character Yashin and the spin on Yuan's renegades tie heavily into my various Symphonia head canons, particularly the stories "Defiance: Birth of the Renegades" and the Tales of Symphonia AU "The Unkindess Seen by Light of Day" there's also shadings of Even's, Ienzo's, and Aeleaus' history/characterization in my kingdom Hearts pieces "Folded Pages" "Dog eared Books" and "Societies Norms".


End file.
